Reversible mop



F. K. BOGAN REVERSIBLE MOP Oct. 30, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed May 24, 1950 I N V EN TOR.

fiZZ/X K 190 GA N ATTORNEY F. K. BOGAN REVERSIBLE MOP Oct. 30, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed May 24, 1950 INVENTOR.

FEL/X K HOGAN Y v B #419.

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REVERSIBLE MOP Felix K. Bogan, Millclale, Conn.

Application May 24, 1950, Serial No. 163,997

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a mop of the type which is employed in washing floors, walls, and windows and which is provided with a resilient pad of durable absorbent material such as sponge rubber or sponge cellulose.

One object of this invention is to provide a mop of the above nature in which the pad is clamped between reinforcing plates in such a manner that two opposite edge portions of the pad will be available for selective use at all times.

Another object is to provide a mop of the above nature having improved means for releasably attaching a handle to the clamping plates.

Another object is to provide a mop of the above nature wherein the handle i provided with a swivel connection so constructed as to facilitate the operation of the mop in corners and other places which are difficult of access.

A further object is to provide a mop of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use and manipulate, compact, easy to replace, ornamental in appearance, and very efficient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there have been illustrated on the accompanying drawings two forms in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing one form of the improved mop, the handle being omitted to show the construction of the swivel connection, and also showing a pair of wringer plates attached to the mop.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, partly broken away, and showing the handle assembled therewith.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the same, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the second form of the mop, the handle being broken away.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the same partly in section.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the same, taken on the line 66 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view on a reduced scale, showing the mop as it would appear in use for cleaning a floor.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral ID indicates the first form of the improved mop, which comprises a rectangular pad II of resilient porous material such as sponge rubber 2 clamped between back and front channel plates I2 and I3.

The channel plates I2, I3 are considerably narrower and shorter than the pad II, so that a central portion of said pad will be compressed between said plates and opposite uncompressed edge portions I l, I5 of the pad will bulge outwardly above and below the plates I2, I3 and will be available for cleaning purposes.

Further, the portions of the pad II which extend beyond the ends of the plates I2, I3 will cushion the ends of said plates and thus prevent them from coming into contact with wood-work, furniture, or other objects which might other-- wise be damaged.

The channel plates I2, I3 comprise pairs of outwardly inclined opposite edge flanges I6 which serve to reinforce the edge portions I4, I5

of the pad. The channel plates I2, I3 are clamped against opposite faces of the pad II bya pair of tongues I I, I8 which are struck inwardly from central portions of the back plate I2 and which pas forwardly through the pad II and through apertures in the plate I3, the front ends of said tongues being bent to engage the outer surface of said front plate.

In order to connect a handle I9 to the back channel plate I2, provision is made of a yoke member 20 comprising a base plate 2| which is shorter than said back channel plate, and which has a similar cross-sectional shape so that it may be clamped snugly against the rear surface of said back channel plate. One end of the base plate 2| is adapted to be engaged under an offset lug 22 struck outwardly from a central portion of the back channel plate I 2, and the opposite end of said base plate 2! is formed with a longitudinal slot 23 adapted to receive the end of a screw 24 engaged through the pad I and the back and front plates i2, I3, a 'wing nut 25 being applied to said screw 2:! for retaining the base plate 2 I.

It will be observed that the slot 23 has a length sufficient to permit the base plate 2| to be slid out of engagement with the offset lug 22 without removing the wing nut 25 completely from the screw 24, thus facilitating attachment and detachment of the base plate 2| with respect to the back channel. plate I2.

The yoke member 20 also comprises a pair of inclined arms 2% which are bent inwardly from opposite edges of the base plate 2!, the outer ends of said arms being bent to form substantially semi-circular parallel complementary socket portions 21. The lower end of the handle I9 comprises a forty-five degree elbow 28 (Fig. 2), the forward end portion of which is formed with a peripheral bead 29 adapted to engage within a corresponding outwardly struck bead 39 in the socket portions 21, thus providing a swivel connection between the handle I9 and the absorbent pad II. However, in order to prevent accidental separation of the elbow 28 from thesocket portions 21, said socket porticns are provided with opposed pairs of cars SI which are held by nuts 32 and screws 33 engaged therethrough.

As a means for squeezing water from the pad II, provision is made of one or more detachable wringer plates 34, each of which is preferably somewhat shorter than the back channel plate I2 and may be of approximately the same width as each of the projecting pad portions I4, I5. Each wringer plate 34 is preferably bent at a small angle in a transverse direction, and is provided at one edge thereof with a pair or hooks 35 adapted to be detachably engaged in pairs of apertures 36 adjacent theedg'es of the'flanges I6 of the back channel plate I2.

It will be understood that the hooks 35' are adapted to connect the wringer plates 34 swing ably to the channel plate I2 so that said wringer plates may be manually depressed for squeezing water from the edge portions of the pad I I.

Second form The second form of the invention is embodied in a mop 37 comprising a rectangular pad 33 clamped between back and front channel plates 39, 49 in substantially the same arrangement as was described. above in connection with the first form of the invention,

Thus, the pad 38 comprises relatively free uncompressed edge' portions 4|, 42 which are located outwardly of inclined edge flanges43 oi the channel plates 39,- 49. It will be noted, however, that in the second form of the invention the channel plates 39, 49 are clamped together by means of a pair of C-shaped clamping elements 44 of stiff wire, which embrace the end edges of the pad 38 and the channel plates 39, 49,. and which are retained by engagement of their ends in apertures insaid channel plates (Fig. 6).

In order to connect a handle 45 to the back channel plate 39, provision is made of a yoke member 46 comprising a base plate 41 which is adapted to engage snugly against the rear surface of said back channel plate. The base plate 41 is similar to the base plate 2! described in connection with the first form of the invention, and is adapted to be held at one end by an outwardly ofiset lug 48 on the back channel p1ate739', and at the other end by a screw 49, the'latter being engaged through the pad 33, and thechannel plates 39, 40, and being provided with a wing nut 50. The base plate 41 has an end slot; adapted to embrace the screw 49, as in the first form of the invention.

The handle 45 comprises a 45 elbow 52, the forward end portion of which is provided with a peripheral bead 53 adapted to seat upon an' inturned flange 54 formed at a central location in an apertured socket member 55. Opposite edge portions 55a of the socket member 55 are turned inwardly at a suitable inclination to'engage opposite edge portions of the base plate 41, to which they are secured by suitable meanssuchas-welding'or riveting.

In order to confine the peripheral bead 53 loosely against the inturned flange 54, provision is made of a centrally apertured retaining ring 59 having an outturned flange 51 for engaging said bead, said ring being detachably secured to the socket member 55 by a plurality of screws 58.

Opposite edge portions of the upper channel plate 39 are formed with pairs of. apertures 59 in order to permit the detachable connection of the wringer plates 34 thereto, as hereinbefore described.

Operation In use, both forms of the mop will be operated in substantially the same Way and may be used in connection with any suitable cleaning liquid for washing floors, windows, walls, or other objects. If, for example, the mop II] is to be used for washing a floor, said mop will be so held that either the edge portion I4 or the edge portion I5 of the'pad II will engage the floor, the other of said edge portions facing upwardly.

The lower end portion of the elbow 7:8 will, of course, be located in a horizontal position and the handle I9 will be disposed at a 45 inclination which will be convenient for manipulating the mop.

When it is desired to operate the mop in a corner or other place which may be difficult of access, the swivel connection at the lower end of the handle will permit the pad to be swung in a horizontal direction merely by rotating the handle I9.

When the user wishes to squeeze the water from the mop p ad, it will merely be necessary to place" the edge-portion I4 of the pad II upon the edge of a sink or other suitable receptacle and depress the wringer plates 34. This operation may be repeated for squeezing the water from the edge portion I5. If desired, the wringer plates 34 may be removed during operation of the mop, and connected thereto only for the wringing operation.

Inasmuch as the edge portions I4, I5 of the pad II are selectively useable merely by inverting the head of the mop with respect to the handle I9, it will be seen that frequent washing or cleaning of the mop during use will be unnecessary, and the life of the pad I I will be prolonged.

When the handle I9 is to bedetached from the mop IE3, it will merely be necessary to loosen the wing nut 25 sufiiciently topermit the base plate ii to he slid out of engagement with the offset lug 22, thus permitting said base plate to be disengaged from the nut 25. If desired, the mop pad, when disengaged from the handle, may be used manually for cleaning in narrow and inaccessible locations.

The second form of mopfii will be operated in substantially the same manner as the mop II], and a detailed description of its operation will, therefore, be unnecessary.

While there have been disclosed in this specification, two forms in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that these forms. are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosures, but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the'following claims.

l Having'thusf-ully describedthei-nvention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to I secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a mop, a pad clamped between a pair of parallel front and back plates and projecting beyond opposite edges of said plates, a yoke member comprising a base plate, a handle connected to said yoke member, means detachably securing said base plate against a central portion of said back plate, comprising a lug on said back plate overlapping one end of said base plate, and a screw provided with a nut for clamping the other end of said base plate against said back plate, said base plate having an end slot embracing said screw and having an extent sufilcient to permit said base plate to be released from said lug by movement in a longitudinal direction.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which said handle comprises an elbow, and including means providing a swivel connection between said yoke member and said elbow, whereby an edge portion of said pad may be swung horizontally with respect to said handle while remaining in full engagement with the floor.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1, in combination with a wringer plate integrally provided with a pair of hooks at one edge thereof, said hooks being engageable with a pair of apertures adjacent the longitudinal edge of said back plate, whereby said wringer plate may be swung for compressing an edge portion of said pad.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which an end portion of said handle is formed with a peripheral bead, said yoke member comprising a socket having means for confining said bead.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which an end portion of said handle is formed with a peripheral bead, said yoke member comprising o u t w a r d l y extending complementary semi-cylindrical socket portions formed with an inner groove for confining said bead.

6. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which an end portion of said handle is formed with a peripheral bead, said yoke member being apertured to receive said handle end portion, and a retaining ring for confining said head against said yoke member.

FELIX K. BOGAN.

No references cited. 

